Potter John Britt makes a "cream cheese and lox" bowl

Potter John Britt makes a "cream cheese and lox" bowl

Beginning Throwing Week 3: Mugs, handles, and softening and reclaiming clay

http://www.flickr.com/photos/divemasterking2000/ / CC BY 2.0

Next week, we'll glaze the four bowls you've made that have been bisque fired. Please also have 2 mugs ready to bisque fire.

Resources for week 3: 

Mugs
Simon leach throws mugs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7v_s7kL-Jg

Handles
SIMON LEACH - handling of the mugs
Video of Simon Leach pulling handles for mugs; Simon pull handles while they're on the pot rather than separately, but the principle's the same.

Softening and reclaiming clay
Clay as it comes from the factory is usually too stiff to center easily. It’s often a good idea to soften your clay before use.

The best way to soften clay is by making a sandwich: alternate layers of new clay with very thin layers of slurry from the reclaim bucket (the best slurry for this is at the very bottom of the bucket).

Make the clay+slurry sandwich, bag it, let it age for at least 24 hours, then wedge it. The clay should be just dry enough that it doesn't stick to your hands after it's been thoroughly wedged.

Incidentally, you may reclaim as much clay as you like for free from the slurry bucket. Just set some slurry out on a plaster bat and let it dry to workable consistency. Clay on a plaster bat dries very quickly, so wrap the whole thing (clay and bat) in plastic before you leave the studio for the day.

Beginning wheelthrowing class week 2

Hi folks,


For next class, please have at least 2 bowls on bisque shelf, and 2 bowls leatherhard and ready to trim. If you haven't already, please purchase another 12 pounds of clay form the ACC studio front desk ($12)

Resources:

Drying and finishing your pots

• cut the piece off as soon as the water has dried from the surface of the bat
• Let piece stiffen on the bat
• As soon as the piece is stiff enough to handle without distortion, flip it over so the bottom can dry
• Dry slowly; wrap in plastic to keep moist (newspaper square top and bottom)
• Remember to label your piece with your name and the date while it's on the shelf
  
• When piece is leatherhard (about the hardness of cheddar cheese)
• Trim the bottom
• see video by Simon Leach- I like his trick of using one bowl to hold another for trimming
• see trimming demo notes
• Write your name and the date on the bottom
  
• Clean up rough surfaces with a rubber or metal rib and a damp sponge
• Put the piece on the "to bisque" shelf for bisque firing

Underglaze decoration
The leatherhard stage is also the best time to apply underglaze decoration. Underglazes are located in the glaze room in the cabinet above the sink; brushes are in the drawer to the right of the sink, and small plastic dishes are under the sink in the clay studio.

Simon leach applies slip to pots in a similar way to the way we use underglazes:
Simon leach slip decoration video

Next class we'll talk about:

• throwing mugs & making handles
• softening & reclaiming clay

Cheers!
Jay

Beginning Throwing week 1

Hi Folks,


For next Beginning Throwing class:
make 8 bowls, keep 2 and dry to leatherhard and ready to trim; rent a locker ($15 for the semester). Also, it's probably a good idea to purchase another 12 pounds of clay before next class, $12 at the Arts and Crafts Center (ACC) front desk.




In week 2,  we'll look at:
* trimming
* decorating a leatherhard pot: underglaze and scrafitto
* reclaiming and softening clay




resources:
Learning to make pots on the potters wheel
General advice on making pots

Stack-and-slam wedging
The author uses a stretched wire instead of a cut-off wire, so his method is slightly different from what we did in class. The wedging table against the back wall has a wire like this, so you can try his exact method if you like.


Tips on centering
Video of English potter Simon Leach on how to center your clay on the wheel

Here's a video of potter Simon Leach making a bowl from beginning to end:
SIMON LEACH - Close up - GP bowl !!

-Jay

Places to see handmade pottery in the wild

Please take the opportunity to visit the Artisan's Guild Gallery. Several local potters exhibit their work there, including some ACC teachers. The Artisans Guild Gallery is located in Millhopper Square Shopping Center, between Leonardo's and Alternatives.

Here are two places online where you can see what other potters are making:

Etsy is a website where hobbyists and professionals alike can offer work for sale online. There's very wide range of quality, styles and prices for pots here. Also some jewelry and non-functional items.

Akar features higher-end work by well-respected ceramic artists and potters.

Simon Leach and his brother John both have online sales galleries (Simon is in Spain, John is in the UK):

Simon Leach Ceramics

John Leach's Muchelney Pottery

Cheers,
Jay

P.S. I'll have some work on sale/display this Saturday at a friend's open studio event. Hopefully I'll be able to post some new work soon on my Etsy store and on my Flickr site.

Resources for further study

I hope you enjoyed our (very) brief introduction to making pots on the potters wheel, and that you'll consider continuing your study and practice:

Get an ACC membership
After learning the basics of throwing, all you really need is some practice. A semester membership to the Arts and Crafts Center at the Reitz Union is $75 for students and their partners, or $100 for the general public. There's a great community of members who are more than willing to share tips and techniques.

Take another class
I'll be offering a 7-week beginning throwing class next semester that's similar to the one you've just completed. Returning students can use the class as a refresher or to work on larger, taller, and more complex pots.

I definitely encourage you to take a class with another teacher- you'll gain an entirely new perspective on making pots.

Registration for Spring leisure courses begins in early January.

Paint your own
Paint-your own at Reitz Union Arts and Crafts Center (There is no membership or hourly fee required to paint the pre-formed bisque pieces. The pottery pieces are priced to include glazes that you can paint on the pots and the firing of the pieces.)

Do-Art is a local privately-owned studio that also offers paint-your own pottery ($9 studio fee for adults; http://www.doart.com)

Books, magazines and videos
Most of these are available either at the Architecture and Fine Arts Library () or at the Headquarters branch of the Alachua County Library System in downtown Gainesville ()

Ceramics Monthly 


Monthly magazine about ceramic art and pottery.


Studio Potter



Studio Potter is a not-for-profit journal exploring the aesthetics and philosohpy of making pottery by hand. Each issue focuses on a particualr issue. Published twice a year.


Thrown Pottery Techniques Revealed: The Secrets of Perfect Throwing Shown in Unique Cutaway Photography by Mary Chappelhow

"This comprehensive guide takes the mystery out of throwing clay by revealing in step-by-step demonstrations precisely what is happening at each point in the throwing process. With clear photography, instructive text and unique cutaway photographs, potters will easily learn throwing techniques and how to make beautiful objects."

Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes

"This well-illustrated book by a professional potter and teacher offers practical information about the processes of pottery making as well as insights into the meaning, history, and spirit of pottery forms. 177 striking photographs reveal the craft's subtleties and mysterious beauty."

Cheers,
Jay

Kathy King demonstrates scrafitto using underglaze

Here's a video of artist Kathy King demonstrating the scrafitto technique using underglaze instead of slip (this is the exact same underglaze we have in the ACC studio):

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/ceramic-decorating-techniques/a-good-scratch-kathy-king-gives-helpful-tips-for-using-sgraffito-in-your-work/

Cheers,
Jay